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Guest Performer List
Dawson Palmer David Dawson Palmer (August 27, 1936 - September 10, 1972) was a stuntman and stage actor. Palmer, a former basketball player worked mainly for producer Irwin Allen. His large stature led to him portraying many monsters, aliens and cyborgs on Allen's TV shows, most notably ''Lost in Space''. He was in fact known on that show as the "resident monster." Palmer can be recognized in three episodes of Lost in Space because his face was shown. He played Keel in "The Space Croppers," a solder in "The Lost Civilization" and IDAK Omega 17 in "Revolt of the Androids." He was killed in September 10, 1972 in a car accident. Wikipedia credits him as the horned mutant in “One of Our Dogs Is Missing,” but IMDb credits Charles Dierkop. Characters Palmer appeared in 21 episodes of Lost in Space. He appeared in ‘dual rôles’ in two episodes. Besides playing IDAK Omega 17 in “Revolt of the Androids,” he also played the ruby eating creature. In “The Space Croppers” he portrayed both Keel and the werewolf. The following is a complete list of the episodes in which Palmer appeared and the character he portrayed in each. He is uncredited except in the roles of Idak Omega 17 and the monster in "The Toymaker." * “The Derelict” (Bubble Creature) * “Wish upon a Star” (Alien Guardian of the Helmet) * “The Raft” (Bush Creature) * “The Keeper: Part 2” (various monsters) * “The Sky Pirate” (Alien Blob) * “Ghost in Space” (Bog Monster) * “The Magic Mirror” (Mirror Monster) * “The Challenge” (Quano’s Beast) * “The Space Croppers” (Keel; Werewolf) * “All that Glitters” (Bolix’s Second Creature) * “The Lost Civilization” (Solider) * “Blast Off into Space” (Spirit of Space) * “The Ghost Planet” (Cyborg) * “Space Circus” (Cosmic Monster) * “The Prisoners of Space” (Alien Bailiff) * “The Android Machine” (Moss Monster) * “The Dream Monster” (Raddion) * “The Toymaker” (Wind-up Monster) * “Treasure of the Lost Planet” (Izrulan) * “Revolt of the Androids” (IDAK Omega 17; Ruby Eating Creature) * “The Astral Traveler” (Angus) Gallery: '' Dawson2.jpg Idak_omega_17.jpg|Dawson as IDAK Omega 17 palmer3.jpg|Palmer as 'Keel' in "The Space Croppers palmer.jpg '' Dee Hartford Dee Hartford (born April 21, 1928, Salt Lake City, Utah) is a retired American television actress. She was married to director Howard Hawks from 1953 to 1959, and did no acting during the six years they were married. She and Hawks had one child together, Gregg, born October 22, 1954. They divorced in 1959. Her sister was actress Eden Hartford. Born as Donna Higgins, Dee Hartford was a model and actress when she married director Howard Hawks. Dee Hartford initially achieved fame in the late '40s as a model for Vogue magazine--a tall brunette with beautifully etched features, she could stop traffic or conversation in a room by entering it, and cut a startling figure in photographs. Hartford chalked up exactly one big-screen credit in her early career, with a role in the 1952 Groucho Marx vehicle, "A Girl in Every Port." She had an uncredited role in Hawk's 1965 film "Red Line 7000." In 1964-1965 she made three guest appearances on Perry Mason, as Leslie Ross in "The Case of the Accosted Accountant," as Lois Gray in "The Case of the Missing Button," and as Rhonda Coleridge in "The Case of the Baffling Bug." In 1964, she also appeared in "The Bewitchin' Pool", the last original broadcast episode of The Twilight Zone. Hartford also guest starred in Gunsmoke, Burke's Law, The Outer Limits, Batman (two episodes), Time Tunnel, and Land of the Giants. Dee Hartford played in three episodes of "Lost in Space". In Season Two, she appeared as the android Verda in the 1966 "Lost in Space" episode "The Android Machine" and in a sequel, "Revolt of the Androids. In Season Three of Lost In Space, Hartford played Nancy Pi Squared in Space Beauty. Don Matheson Basic Facts *Born: Aug 05, 1929 · Dearborn, Michigan *Died: June 29, 2014 *Height: 6' 2" (1.88 m) *Spouse: Deanna Lund (1970) · Maxine Arnold (1964 - 1969) *Children: Michele Matheson Don Matheson was born on August 5, 1929, in Dearborn, Michigan, USA. He left high school at the age of sixteen, and continued his education whilst in service in the Marine Corps. After some time in the Army Airborne division, Don was then transfered to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). He acted as an agent for the United Nations Command, posted in Korea. Whilst in Korea, Don was awarded the Bronze Star for valorous leadership and a Purple Heart for injuries suffered in an explosion. His CID work included investigations in to the use of narcotics amongst Army troops. Don served in the Army for six and half years, before moving on to join the Detroit Police Department. His experience in investigating narcotics trafficing was soon recognized and he continued with undercover narcotics work for the police. During this time Don was considering other careers. Don studied pre law at Wayne University, with intention of becoming a lawyer. Don even spent time as a jazz drummer, and took a refresher course in drums. It was during a break away from the police that Don considered a career in acting. He approached the Vanguard Playhouse Repertory Company, and was asked to do a scene from 'A Streetcar Named Desire'. A director from the Vanguard Playhouse was impressed and offered Don a part in a play called 'Lower Depths'. He resigned from the police force and continued with the Vanguard Playhouse for a year in plays such as 'Leave it to Jane', 'Billy the Kid', and 'Purple Dust'. During this time the opportunity also arose to appear in commercials. Don moved briefly to New York, living in Greenwich Village. He appreared in an off broadway play for a while for a very low wage. He decided to move on to Los Angeles to seek greater opportunities. He found himself an agent, George Morris, and had a couple of guest starring roles in television series such as 'McHale's Navy' (1962) where he played Lt. Harris in a very brief scene. He was tested, unsuccessfully, for a number of leading roles, including for 'The Long Hot Summer' in 1965 which was loosely based on the William Faulkner short stories (also made into a film with Paul Newman in 1958). He was offered a long term contract with a major film studio, Universal, which he turned down because he didn't want to be tied to a studio for seven years. He kept going by taking on other odd jobs to pay the bills during this time. On 31st October 1963, Don met his first wife Maxine Arnold at a Halloween party at a place called the Raincheck Room in Hollywood. Maxine was an actress at the time and had appeared in a number of plays and television guest roles. Within a year, 29th August 1964 to be precise, they were married in New York. Both were having a tough time getting frequent work, and they concentrated on Don's career, believing and hoping that it was only a matter of time before his career would take off. 'Land of the Giants' was the big break, but it was also hard on Maxine whose career had yet to blossom, and the situation contributed to their break up. Maxine went on to become an agent, and indeed, became Kevin Hagen's agent for a while. In the mid sixties, Don began his involvement in Irwin Allen's science fiction series. In 1965 he appeared in Allen's 'Lost in Space' as a non-speaking alien called Rethso in 'The Sky is Falling'. Later in 1967, Don appeared in a second episode called 'Revolt of the Androids' as a robot dressed in a 'Superman' style costume and he was heavily painted in silver make-up. Don Matheson was the first of the main cast to be signed up for 'Land of the Giants'. In February 1967, Don appeared in a scene at the end of the 8 minute promotion reel. He was signed up with the option of appearing eventually in the series itself. However, as filming on 'Land of the Giants' didn't start until much later, Irwin Allen was paying Don even though he was not working on anything at that time. Irwin Allen didn't want him to be seen in something else just before appearing in 'Land of the Giants', but did want to get his monies worth. So, Don was cast as Proto in Allen's 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'. Don was totally unrecognizable in a lizard like costume. Don has enjoyed recalling his time working with Irwin Allen in 'Voyage' and 'Lost in Space'. Don eventually appeared, without any disguise, as Mark Wilson in 'Land of the Giants'. He played a successful engineer and businessman whose skills were called upon frequently in attempts to escape from the alien planet or to free the other passengers from their giant captors. Don's friendship with co star Deanna Lund grew throughout the series, and in April 1970 they married. Their daughter Michele (also now an actress) was born in 1971, but Deanna and Don later divorced in the late seventies. Since leaving 'Land of the Giants', Don has had many guest appearances in television shows and movies. He appeared in series such as 'Emergency', 'Shaft', the Kurt Russell western series 'The Quest', and in the mid seventies Don starred as Cameron Faulkner in the daytime soap 'General Hospital'. In 1984, Don had a regular role in the primetime series 'Falcon Crest'. He played Richard Channing's henchman for a season. He also appeared briefly in another primetime soap 'Dynasty'. Don worked with Irwin Allen again in 1985 when he appeared in Allen's production of 'Alice in Wonderland'. He played the Red Knight, and has to joust on horseback against Lloyd Bridge's character the White Knight. The rigid suit of red armor will not have helped ease of movement much. In more recent years, Don hasn't been seen in as many television roles. He has enjoyed meeting fans from the U.K. and in 1991 attended the ROVACON convention in Virginia. His tremendous sense of humour has shone through in meetings with followers of 'Land of the Giants'. He died on June 29, 2014, in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles from Lung cancer. The Irwin Allen News Network reported: It is with immense sadness that we have learned that our longtime friend and star of Land of the Giants, Don Matheson has passed away. Our thoughts at this time are with Deanna Lund, his daughter Michele, and all of his family and friends. Don participated in a wonderful Land of the Giants reunion with us in July 1991 and his sparkling sense of humor shone through as he recalled their times together in the sixties with his fellow cast mates. Since then he has been a popular guest at events and a couple of years ago he participated in the amazing commentary the cast of Land of the Giants did for the British Land of the Giants DVD release. Lost In Space Episodes *The Sky is Falling - Rethso *Revolt of the Androids - IDAK1 Gallery File:Don-3.jpg|Don as "Rethso" in "The Sky is Falling Don-2.jpg|Don as "IDAK1" in "The Revolt of the Androids" Don-M-2.jpg Don-M-1.jpg Other Galleries Here is a link to more galleries of Don Matheson: http://www.uncleodiescollectibles.com/html_lib/don-matheson/index.html Fritz Feld Fritz Feld (October 15, 1900 – November 18, 1993) was a German-American film character actor who appeared in over 140 films in 72 years, both silent and sound. His trademark was to slap his mouth with the palm of his hand to create a pop sound. Early Life and Career Born Fritz Feilchenfeld in Berlin, Germany, Feld began his acting career in Germany in 1917, making his screen debut in "Der Golem und die Tänzerin" (The Golem and the Dancing Girl). Feld filmed the sound sequences of the Cecil B. DeMille film "The Godless Girl" (1929), released by Pathé, without DeMille's supervision since DeMille had already broken his contract with Pathé, and signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He developed a characterization that came to define him. His trademark was to slap his mouth with the palm of his hand to create a "pop!" sound that indicated both his superiority and his annoyance. The first use of the "pop" sound was in "If You Knew Susie" (1947). Feld often played the part of a maître d', but also a variety of aristocrats and eccentrics; his characters were indeterminately European, sometimes French and sometimes Belgian but always with his particular mannerisms. In the 1938 screwball comedy "Bringing Up Baby." he played the role of Dr. Lehman. In one 1963 episode of NBC's "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," "The Napoleon's Tomb Affair", Feld played a banker, a beatnik, a diplomat and a waiter. The episode also featured Ted Cassidy from ABC's "The Addams Family." In his later years, Feld appeared in several Walt Disney films and also played an uncharacteristically dramatic role in Barfly. He also portrayed one of the Harmonia Gardens waiters in the movie Hello Dolly! Lost in Space In addition to films, he acted in numerous television series in guest roles, including the recurring role of "Zumdish", the manager of the intergalactic Celestial Department Store on CBS's Lost in Space, in two Season 2 episodes, The Android Machine and Revolt of the Androids. Zumdish returned in the Season 3 episode Two Weeks in Space, where he has been brainwashed by bank robbers into believing he is a tour director taking the robbers on holiday. Feld made his final film appearance in 1989. Personal life Feld was married to Virginia Christine who was twenty years his junior, from 1940 until his death in 1993 in a convalescent home in Los Angeles, California; Christine died in 1996. The couple had two sons, Danny and Steve Feld. The couple are interred at the Jewish Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills section of Los Angeles. He was the younger brother of the art director Rudi Feld. Feld was a strong enough amateur chess player that 1948 U.S. Champion Herman Steiner and International Master George Koltanowski would come to his home some evenings in the 1940s, with the three of them playing chess until 6 a.m. the following morning, as mentioned in The Bobby Fischer I Knew and Other Stories (Denker & Parr, 1995). Partial Filmography *The Golem and the Dancing Girl (1917) *A Ship Comes In (1928) *Black Magic (1929) *One Hysterical Night (1929) *Bringing Up Baby (1938) *Campus Confessions (1938) *The Affairs of Annabel (1938) *Annabel Takes a Tour (1938) *Swingtime in the Movies (1938) *At the Circus (1939) *Idiot's Delight (1939) *Everything Happens at Night (1939) *Come Live with Me (1941) as Mac the Headwaiter (uncredited) *Phantom of the Opera (1943) *The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) *Mexican Hayride (1948) *The Lovable Cheat (1949) *Belle of Old Mexico (1950) *Paris Playboys (1953) *Riding Shotgun (1955) *Pocketful of Miracles (1961) *Who's Minding the Store? (1963) *The Patsy (1964) *Hello, Dolly! (1969) *The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969) *The Sunshine Boys (1975) *Herbie Rides Again (1974) *Silent Movie (1976) *Freaky Friday (1976) *Herbie Goes Bananas (1980) *History of the World, Part I (1981) *Heidi's Song (1982) *Homer and Eddie (1989) Kurt Russell Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American television and film actor. His first acting roles were as a child in television series, including a lead role in the Western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (1963–64). In the 1970s, he signed a ten-year contract with the Walt Disney Company, where he became, according to Robert Osborne, the "studio's top star of the '70s". In 1979, Russell was nominated for an Emmy Award for the made-for-television film Elvis. In 1983, he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for his performance opposite Meryl Streep in the 1984 film, Silkwood. During the 1980s, Russell was cast in several films by director John Carpenter, including anti-hero roles such as former army hero-turned robber Snake Plissken in the futuristic action film Escape from New York and its sequel, Escape from L.A., Antarctic helicopter pilot R.J. MacReady in the horror film The Thing (1982), and truck driver Jack Burton in the dark kung-fu comedy/action film Big Trouble in Little China (1986), all of which have since become cult films. In 1994, Russell had a starring role in the military science fiction film Stargate. In the mid-2000s, his portrayal of U.S. Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks in Miracle (2004) won the praise of critics. In 2006, he appeared in the disaster-thriller Poseidon, and in 2007 Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof segment from the film Grindhouse. Early life Russell was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, the son of Louise Julia (née Crone), a dancer; and Neil Oliver "Bing" Russell, a character actor, best known for playing Deputy Clem Foster on Bonanza.3 In 1969, Russell graduated from Thousand Oaks High School. Late 1950’s - 1960’s Russell began his career in the late 1950s with an appearance as a child in the pilot of the ABC western television series Sugarfoot with Will Hutchins.needed His film career began at the age of eleven in an uncredited part in Elvis Presley's It Happened at the World's Fair and two extra episodes, celebrating the tenth anniversary of the then defunct series Rin Tin Tin. On April 24, 1963, Russell guest starred in the ABC series Our Man Higgins, starring Stanley Holloway as an English butler in an American family. He appeared in 1963 as Peter Hall in the episode "Everybody Knows You Left Me" on the NBC medical drama about psychiatry The Eleventh Hour. Later in 1963, he landed the lead role as Jaimie in the ABC Western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (1963–64). Based on a book by Robert Lewis Taylor, the series starred Dan O'Herlihy, John Maloney, and the young Osmond Brothers. Charles Bronson became a semi-regular in the series. In 1964, he guest-starred in "Nemesis", an episode of the popular ABC series The Fugitive in which, as the son of police Lt. Phillip Gerard, he is unintentionally kidnapped by his father's quarry, Doctor Richard Kimble. That same year he appeared on The Virginian as a mistaken orphan whose father was an outlaw played by Rory Calhoun who was still alive and recently released from prison looking for his son. He played a similar role as a kid named Packy Kerlin in the 1964 episode "Blue Heaven" of the western series Gunsmoke. On February 6, 1965, Russell, not quite fourteen, played the role of Jungle Boy on an episode of CBS's Gilligan's Island. He guest-starred on ABC's western The Legend of Jesse James. In 1966, Russell played an Indian boy adopted by the rangers in an episode of the western series Laredo titled "Meanwhile, Back at the Reservation". In January 1967, he co-starred as Private Willie Prentiss in the episode "Willie and the Yank: The Mosby Raiders" in Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. Also in 1967, he, Jay C. Flippen, and Tom Tryon appeared in the episode "Charade of Justice" of the NBC western series The Road West starring Barry Sullivan. In a March 1966 episode of CBS's Lost in Space entitled "The Challenge", he played Quano, the son of a planetary ruler. In the same year he played a starring role in Disney's Follow Me, Boys!. He then went on to star in The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band and The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, the latter of which spawned two sequels: Now You See Him, Now You Don't in 1972 and The Strongest Man in the World in 1975. 1970’s In 1971, he co-starred as a young robber released from jail, alongside James Stewart in Fools' Parade. The same year, he guest-starred in an episode of Room 222 playing an idealistic high school student who assumed the costumed identity of Paul Revere to warn of the dangers of pollution. Russell was soon signed to a ten-year contract with the Walt Disney Company, where he became, according to Robert Osborne, the "studio's top star of the '70s". He later auditioned for the role of Han Solo in Star Wars but lost the role to Harrison Ford.needed Russell, like his father, had a baseball career. In the early 1970s, Russell played second base for the California Angels minor league affiliates, the Bend Rainbows, Walla Walla Islanders, Portland Mavericks and El Paso Sun Kings. During a play, he was hit in the shoulder by a player running to second base; the collision tore the rotator cuff in Russell's right/throwing shoulder. Before his injury, he was leading the Texas League in hitting, with a .563 batting average as a switch hitter. The injury forced his retirement from baseball in 1973 and led to his return to acting. In the autumn of 1976, Russell appeared with Tim Matheson in the 15-episode NBC series The Quest, the story of two young men in the American West seeking the whereabouts of their sister, a captive of the Cheyenne. In 1979, Russell was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special for the made-for-television film Elvis. This was his first pairing with director John Carpenter. Russell did not perform the singing vocals in the movie; they were provided by country music artist Ronnie McDowell. 1980’s Over the 1980s, Russell would team with Carpenter several times, helping create some of his best-known roles, usually as anti-heroes, including the infamous Snake Plissken of Escape from New York and its sequel, Escape from L.A.. Among their collaborations was 1982's The Thing, based upon the short story Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell, Jr., which had been interpreted on film before, albeit loosely, in 1951's The Thing from Another World. In 1986, the two made Big Trouble in Little China, a dark kung-fu comedy/action film in which Russell played a truck driver caught in an ancient Chinese war. While the film was a financial failure like The Thing, it has since gained a cult audience. During this period, he also voiced an adult Copper in the animated Disney film The Fox and the Hound. Russell is one of the very few famous child stars in Hollywood who has been able to continue his acting career past his teen years. Russell received award nominations well into middle age. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for his performance opposite Meryl Streep in the 1984 film, Silkwood. 1990’s - 2000’s In 1991, Russell was cast alongside William Baldwin as a firefighter in Backdraft. In 1993, Russell portrayed Wyatt Earp in the film Tombstone, co-starring with Val Kilmer, Sam Elliot, Bill Paxton and Powers Boothe. In 1994, he starred as Colonel Jack O'Neill in the military science fiction film Stargate. Elvis Presley connections have run like a thread through his career. Aside from appearing as a child in one of Presley's films and giving a convincing portrayal of the singer in the 1979 television biopic, Russell starred as an Elvis impersonator involved in a Las Vegas robbery in 3000 Miles to Graceland and provided the voice of Elvis for a scene in Forrest Gump.needed His portrayal of U.S. Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks in the 2004 film, Miracle, won the praise of critics. "In many ways," wrote Claudia Puig of USA Today, "Miracle belongs to Kurt Russell." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times wrote, "Russell does real acting here." Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times wrote, "Mr. Russell's cagey and remote performance gives Miracle its few breezes of fresh, albeit methane-scented, air." In 2006, Russell revealed that he was the director of Tombstone, not George P. Cosmatos, as credited.9 According to Russell, Cosmatos was recommended by Sylvester Stallone and was, in effect, a ghost director, much as he had been for Rambo: First Blood Part II. Russell said he promised Cosmatos he would keep it a secret as long as Cosmatos was alive; Cosmatos died in April 2005.9 Russell owns the rights to the masters and makes reference to possibly re-editing the film, as he was not originally involved in the editing. Russell appeared as villain Stuntman Mike in Quentin Tarantino's segment Death Proof of the film Grindhouse. After a remake of Escape from New York was announced, Russell was reportedly upset with the casting of Scottish actor Gerard Butler for his signature character, Snake Plissken, as he believed the character 'was quintessentially American.' On August 31, 2013, it was announced that Russell had been cast in Fast & Furious 7. Personal Life Russell married actress Season Hubley, whom he had met on the set of Elvis in 1979; they had a son, Boston Russell, in 1980. In 1983, in the middle of his divorce from Hubley, Russell re-connected with Goldie Hawn on the set of the film Swing Shift, and they have been in a relationship ever since. They had a son, Wyatt, in 1986. One year later, in 1987, the couple starred in the film Overboard. Hawn's son and daughter with Bill Hudson, actors Oliver and Kate Hudson, consider Russell to be their father. Russell is a libertarian. In 1996, he was quoted in the Toronto Sun saying: "I was brought up as a Republican. But when I realized that at the end of the day there wasn't much difference between a Democrat and Republican, I became a libertarian." In February 2003, Russell and Hawn moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, so that their son could play hockey. Russell is an FAA licensed private pilot holding single/multi-engine and instrument ratings and is an Honorary Board Member of the humanitarian aviation organization Wings of Hope.Former Major League Baseball player Matt Franco is his nephew. Leonard Stone Leonard Stone (November 3, 1923 – November 2, 2011) was an American character actor who played supporting roles in over 120 television shows and 35 films. Lost in Space Episodes *A Day at the Zoo (1967), as Farnum *Space Beauty (1968), as Farnum Life and Career In 1961 and 1962, he was twice cast in different roles on ABC's "The Real McCoys" in the episodes, "Money from Heaven" and "You Can't Beat the Army". Between 1962 and 1966, Stone made four guest appearances on CBS's Perry Mason, including his season 6, 1962 role as murderer Jerel Leland in "The Case of the Hateful Hero." In 1966, he had a supporting role as Morton on the short-lived CBS sitcom "The Jean Arthur Show" starring Jean Arthur and Ron Harper. He played popular and memorable characters on "The Outer Limits," "Lost in Space," and "M*A*S*H." He appeared twice on ABC's "The Donna Reed Show" as Mr. Trestle in "The Good Guys and the Bad Guys" (1961) and as Harlan Carmody, Jr., in "Joe College" (1965). In the 1965-1966 season, he appeared as Doc Joslyn in thirteen episodes of "Camp Runamuck" on NBC. One of his most notable roles came in 1971, when he played Sam Beauregarde, the father of Golden Ticket winner Violet Beauregarde, in "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory." He was one of the last surviving parents from the movie. Between 1988 and 1994, he was cast as Judge Paul Hansen in twelve episodes of the NBC legal drama "L.A. Law." Stone started his career as a young actor studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. He performed in the West End, on Broadway, and toured the world. He traveled for eight years in Australia and New Zealand with the musical "South Pacific." He was nominated for a Tony Award in 1959 for Best Supporting Actor in "Redhead," a Bob Fosse musical. He also was in the Tony Award-nominated cast of Look Homeward, Angel in 1957, which premiered at the Ethel Barrymore Theater in New York. Based on the Thomas Wolfe novel, it won a Pulitzer Prize. Stone's final role came in 2006 at the age of 83, when he played a minor character in "Surrender Dorothy." Death He died on November 2, 2011 in Encinitas, California, after a brief bout with cancer, one day shy of his 88th birthday. Personal Stone married Carole Kleinman in 1964, and together they raised four children and eight grandchildren. In 1983, Stone moved to San Diego from his longtime home in Los Angeles, but continued to commute for work. Stone was a contestant on an episode of "Wheel of Fortune" which aired September 22, 2000. He placed second, winning $4,250 in cash and a trip to Bermuda valued at $5,310. In the early 1950s, Stone began writing a children's story about a kangaroo who never grew. In 2011, "Keepy" was published on Kindle and Nook. Filmography *Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) – Sam Beauregarde, father of Violet Beauregarde *Soylent Green (1973) – Charles (Chelsea Towers West manager) *The Dukes of Hazzard (1980) - Ringleader *American Pop (1981) – Leo Gallery File:Stone-3.jpg File:Stone.jpg Stone-4.jpg Michael Ansara Michael George Ansara (April 15, 1922 – July 31, 2013) was a Syrian-born American stage, screen, and voice actor best known for his portrayal of Cochise in the American television series Broken Arrow, Kane in the 1979–1981 series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Commander Kang on three different Star Trek television series, an alien on Lost In Space, Deputy U.S. Marshal Sam Buckhart on the NBC series, Law of the Plainsman, and providing the voice for Mr. Freeze in Batman: The Animated Series and several of its spin-offs. Early Life and Career Ansara was born in a small village in Syria, and his family emigrated to the United States when he was two years old. They resided in Lowell, Massachusetts, for a decade before moving to California. He originally wanted to be a physician, but developed a passion for becoming a performer after he began taking acting classes to overcome his shyness. He was educated at the Los Angeles City College, from which Ansara earned an Associate of Arts degree. During the 1950s, Ansara appeared in several episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. It was the popular television series Broken Arrow (1956), wherein he played the lead role of Cochise, that raised Ansara's profile and made him a household name. While making the series, the 20th Century-Fox publicity department arranged a date between Ansara and actress Barbara Eden. The two later married and Ansara guest starred on Eden's I Dream of Jeannie series as the Blue Djinn, who had imprisoned Jeannie in a bottle. He also played King Kamehameha in the Jeannie episode "The Battle of Waikīkī" and in the final season he played Major Biff Jellico in the episode "My Sister, the Home Wrecker." Michael Ansara and Barbara Eden divorced in 1974. The couple had one son together, actor Matthew Ansara, who died on June 25, 2001, of a heroin overdose. Ansara starred in his own ABC-TV series, Law of the Plainsman (1959–1960), with Gina Gillespie and Robert Harland. He performed as an Apache Indian named Sam Buckhart who had been appointed as a U.S. Marshal. The series began as an episode of The Rifleman. In 1961, he appeared as Carl in the episode "Night Visitors" of the NBC anthology series The Barbara Stanwyck Show. Ansara also played in the Biblical epics The Robe (1953) as Judas Iscariot, The Ten Commandments (1956) as a taskmaster (uncredited), and The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) as Herod's commander. He also appeared as Belshazzar in Columbia's 1953 movie Slaves of Babylon. Later career In 1961, Ansara played the role of Miguel Alvarez in the film Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, co-starring with Barbara Eden and Walter Pidgeon, who played the role of Admiral Harriman Nelson. Ansara later appeared in an episode of the television series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, playing the rebel sub commander Captain Ruiz in "Killers Of The Deep" (1966). He also appeared in another episode as a Soviet scientist to disarm a defective Soviet atomic satellite that has crashed off the coast of California. The episode title was "Hot Line", broadcast on November 9, 1964. In 1962, he starred in a Broadway show with famous silent film actor Ramon Novarro. In 1964 he made his only guest appearance on Perry Mason as Vince Kabat in "The Case of the Antic Angel.” He starred in a supporting role in the 1965 Elvis Presley film, Harum Scarum. (His wife, Barbara Eden, had starred in an earlier Elvis film, 1960's Flaming Star) Ansara played The Ruler on episode 22, "The Challenge", of the television series Lost in Space (March 2, 1966) with a young Kurt Russell as his son Quano and, later that same year, appeared in the feature film Texas Across the River with Dean Martin. He also appeared on Daniel Boone as Red Sky in a 1966 episode. In another 1966 episode of that series, Ansara portrayed Sebastian Drake. In 1967, Ansara guest-starred in the episode "A War for the Gravediggers" of the NBC western series The Road West starring Barry Sullivan, Andrew Prine, and Glenn Corbett, and in the episode "The Savage Street" of the ABC action drama series The Fugitive with Gilbert Roland and Tom Nardini. In 1969, Ansara guest-starred in the episode "On a Clear Night You Can See Earth" as Murtrah in the ABC-TV series Land of the Giants. Also in 1969, he starred as the sadistic militant Diego in the film "Guns of the Magnificent Seven.” In 1973, he guest-starred in "The Western", the penultimate episode of the original CBS television series Mission: Impossible. In 1976, he starred in the movie Mohammad, Messenger of God (also titled The Message), about the origin of Islam and the message of prophet Mohammad. Ansara played Killer Kane in the 1979-1980 season of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, having previously played two different characters in two episodes of the 1966 science fiction television series The Time Tunnel. In episode #11, he played Colonel Hruda and in episode #28 he played The Curator. He also played the title role in the acclaimed The Outer Limits original series episode "Soldier", written by Harlan Ellison. He narrated Paul Goble's "The Gift of the Sacred Dog" at Crow Agency, Montana, on June 17, 1983, and Sheila MacGill Callahan's "And Still the Turtle Watched" on October 21, 1993, on the PBS series Reading Rainbow. Also in 1979, he starred in the acclaimed miniseries Centennial, based on the novel by James A. Michener. In it, he played the great Indian leader Lame Beaver, whose descendants are showcased throughout the centuries alongside the growth of the West and the town that the novel and miniseries are named after. In 1988, Ansara appeared in an episode of the television series Murder, She Wrote titled "The Last Flight of the Dixie Damsel”. In 1994, Ansara portrayed the Technomage Elric in the science fiction television series Babylon 5 in the episode "The Geometry of Shadows". In recent years, he performed voice-acting as Mr. Freeze in Batman: The Animated Series as well as the animated film Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero, an episode of both The New Batman Adventures and Batman Beyond and the video game Batman: Vengeance. Star Trek He is one of seven actors to play the same character (in his case the Klingon commander Kang) on three different Star Trek television series — the original series ("Day of the Dove"), Deep Space Nine ("Blood Oath") and Voyager ("Flashback"). The other actors who hold this distinction are Jonathan Frakes (Riker; TNG, DS9, Voyager and Enterprise), Marina Sirtis (Troi; TNG, Voyager and Enterprise), Armin Shimerman (Quark; TNG, DS9 and Voyager), Mark Allen Shepherd (Morn; TNG, DS9 and Voyager, although in the first and last, he only appeared in brief cameos) John de Lancie (Q; TNG, DS9 and Voyager), and Richard Poe (Gul Evek; TNG, DS9 and Voyager). Ansara also played Lwaxana Troi's husband Jeyal on the Deep Space Nine episode, "The Muse". Awards and Honors Ansara was nominated for an Academy of Science Fiction Award, and has won a Western Heritage Award for Rawhide and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for both films and television. Personal Life Ansara was married three times, first to Jean Byron in 1955; after a year of marriage the couple divorced in 1956. In 1958, Ansara married Barbara Eden, who is best known for the I Dream of Jeannie sitcom series. The couple had a son named Matthew born in 1965. Ansara and Eden divorced in 1974, and he married Beverly Kushida in 1977. On June 25, 2001, his son Matthew died from a drug overdose in Monrovia, California. Ansara resided in Calabasas, California. Death Ansara died following a long illness at his home in Calabasas on July 31, 2013 at the age of 91. His interment was at Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery. Filmography * Action in Arabia (1944) * Intrigue (1947) * The Desert Film (1950) * Only the Valiant (1950) * Kim (1950) * Soldiers Three (1951) * My Favorite Spy (1951) * Hill Number One (1951) * Bannerline (1951) * Yankee Buccaneer (1952) * The Lawless Breed (1952) * The Golden Hawk (1952) * Diplomatic Courier (1952) * Brave Warrior (1952) * White Witch Doctor (1953) * The Robe (1953) * The Diamond Queen (1953) * The Bandits of Corsica (1953) * Slaves of Babylon (1953) * Serpent of the Nile (1953) * Road to Bali (1953) * Julius Caesar (1953) * Three Young Texans (1954) * The Saracen Blade (1954) * The Egyptian (1954) * Sign of the Pagan (1954) * Princess of the Nile (1954) * Dragnet: The Big Rod (1954) * Bengal Brigade (1954) * New Orleans Uncensored (1955) * Jupiter's Darling (1955) * Diane (1955) * Abbot and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955) * The Ten Commandments (1956) * The Lone Ranger (1956) * Pillars of the Sky (1956) * Gun Brothers (1956) * Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Orderly World of Mr. Appleby (1956) * Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Baby Sitter (1956) * Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Shopping for Death (1956) * Broken Arrow (1956–1958) * The Tall Stranger (1957) * The Sad Sack (1957) * Quantez (1957) * Last of the Badmen (1957) * The Rifleman: The Raid (1959) * Law of the Plainsman (1959–1960) * The Rebel as Docker Mason in "The Champ" (1960) * Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961) * The Untouchables: The Jamaica Ginger Story (1961) * The Untouchables: Nicky (1961) * The Comancheros (1961) * Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: Hot Line (1964) * The Outer Limits: The Mice (1964) * The Outer Limits: Soldier (1964) * Quick, Let's Get Married (1964) * Perry Mason: The Case of the Antic Angel (1964) * The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) * Harum Scarum (1965) * Branded: The Bounty (1965) * Texas Across the River (1966) * Lost in Space: The Challenge (1966) * I Dream of Jeannie: Happy Anniversary (1966) * Bewitched: A Most Unusual Wood Nymph (1966) * Gunsmoke: Honor Before Justice (1966) * ...And Now Miguel (1966) * Star Trek (1966-1969) * The Fugitive: The Savage Street (1967) * Gunsmoke: The Returning (1967) * The Pink Jungle (1968) * The Destructors (1968) * Star Trek: Day of the Dove (1968) * Sol Madrid (1968) * I Dream of Jeannie: The Battle of Waikīkī (1968) * Daring Game (1968) * Target: Harry (1969) * I Dream of Jeannie: My Sister, the Homewreker (1969) * Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969) * The Phynx (1970) * Powderkeg (1970) * I Dream Jeannie: One Jeannie Beats Four of a Kind (1970) * The Mod Squad: A Double for Danger, Season 3 (1971) * The Streets of San Francisco: The Year of the Locusts (1972) * Stand up and Be Counted (1972) * Dear Dead Delilah (1972) * Hawaii Five-O: Death is a Company Policy (1972) * The Doll Squad (1973) * Ordeal (1973) * Mission: Impossible: The Western (1973) * Call To Danger (1973) * The Bears and I (1974) * The Barbary Coast (1974) * It's Alive (1974) * The Rockford Files: Joey Blues Eyes (1976) * The Message (1976) * Kojak: Justice Deferred (1976) * Mission to Glory: A True Story (1977) * Day of the Animals (1977) * The Manitou (1978) * Centennial (1978) * The Story of Esther (1979) * Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979–1981) * The Guns and the Fury (1983) * Guns & Fury (1983) * The Fantastic World of D.C. Collins (1984) * Reading Rainbow: Gift of the Sacred Dog (1984) * Access Code (1984) * Knights of the City (1985) * Hunter: Rape and Revenge, Part 2 (1985) * Rambo: Animated Series (1986) * KGB: The Secret War (1986) * Bayou Romance (1986) * Assassination (1987) * Murder, She Wrote: The Last Flight of the Dixie Damsel (1988) * Border Shootout (1990) * Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995) * Reading Rainbow: And Still the Turtle Watched (1993) * Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Blood Oath (1994) * Babylon 5: The Geometry of Shadows (1994) * Star Trek: Voyager: Flashback (1996) * Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Muse (1996) * Johnny Mysto Boy Wizard (1996) * Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998) * The Long Road Home (1999) * Batman Beyond: Meltdown (1999) * Batman Beyond: The Movie (1999) * Batman Beyond (1999–2001) * The Exchange (2000) Michael Rennie Michael Rennie (25 August 1909 – 10 June 1971) was an English-born film, television, and stage actor, perhaps best known for his starring role as the space visitor Klaatu in the classic science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). However, he also acted in more than 50 other films beginning in 1936. During the Second World War, Rennie served in the Royal Air Force. From 1959 onwards, Rennie also appeared in some American television series, in between acting in movies. Early Years Eric Alexander Rennie was born in Idle near Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire. He received his education at the Leys School, Cambridge. Rennie tried out a number of occupations, including periods as car salesman and as the manager of his uncle's rope factory; before deciding (at the time of his 26th birthday, in 1935) on a career as an actor. Retaining his surname but adopting the professional name Michael Rennie, the 6' 4" tall show business hopeful, with chiseled facial features, first appeared onscreen in an uncredited bit part in the 1936 premiere of Sir Alfred Hitchcock's film Secret Agent. During the late 1930s, Rennie served his apprenticeship as an actor, gaining experience in technique while touring the provinces in British repertory. There is evidence that, at the age of 28, he was noticed by one of the British film studios, which decided to appraise his potential as a film personality by arranging a screen test. The 1937 screen test,1 which exists in the British Film Institute archives under the title "Marguerite Allan and Michael Rennie Screen Test," did not lead to a film career for either performer. In Secret Agent, he was primarily a stand-in for leading man Robert Young, and his on-camera sequence was so small that it cannot be discerned in the preserved final version of the film. He also played other bit parts, and minor unbilled roles in ten additional films produced between 1936 and 1940; the last of which, Pimpernel Smith, had a belated release in July 1941, when Rennie was already in uniform, serving in the Royal Air Force. Second World War Shortly after the outbreak of war on 3 September 1939, Rennie began to receive offers for larger film roles, starting with his first (small) billed performance in the wartime morale booster The Big Blockade, seen in March 1940. Michael Redgrave, by then a fully-fledged star, had one of the leading roles in the film. Six films later, however, Michael Rennie also had his first film lead. The suspense drama Tower of Terror, released in late December 1941 was styled in the manner of a horror film, and it starred Wilfrid Lawson as a crazed Dutch lighthouse keeper in the German-occupied Netherlands, while the second-billed Rennie and third-billed Movita had the romantic leads. Michael Rennie enlisted in the RAF Volunteer Reserve on 27 May 1941 (Serial No 1391153). He was officially discharged on 4 August 1942, and then on the following day, he was commissioned "for the emergency" as pilot officer number 127347 on probation in the General Duties Branch of the RAFVR. On 5 February 1943, he was promoted to flying officer on probation. He resigned his commission on 1 May 1944 (not discharged on disability, as the studio publicity stated). Rennie had carried out his basic training near Torquay in Devon, after which he was sent to the United States for fighter pilot training under the Arnold Plan. In this programme, pilots for the RAF were trained by United States Army Air Forces instructors. One of his fellow students was RAF Sgt Jack Morton, who told an anecdote about when he and Rennie were in the same class: At the end of our primary course we were posted to a Basic Flying School at Cochran Field, Macon, Georgia. The class which completed the course at Cochran Field was now split up, half were posted to Napier Field, Dothan, Alabama, to train on single engine planes, and the remainder were posted to twin-engine schools. Like Cochran, Napier Field was a large permanent Air Corps Base and most of us were quite content to stay on the camp when we had time off. One of the cadets on our course had told us that he was a film actor, but no one took him seriously. We had to admit that he was right however when a film came to the camp cinema called "Ships with Wings" starring Michael Rennie." British Film Star (1945 - 1950) With the end of the war in Europe in May 1945, Rennie began to be seen as a potential star as a result of playing second leads in two vehicles for Britain's most popular leading actress of the era, Margaret Lockwood: the musical I'll Be Your Sweetheart and, most prominently, the sensual costume adventure The Wicked Lady. The latter turned out to be the year's biggest box office hit, subsequently being listed ninth on a list of top ten highest-grossing British films. He also had a single prominent scene as a commander of Roman centurions in the film described at the time as the most expensive (and financially ruinous) British film enterprise ever made, Gabriel Pascal's production of George Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra, starring Vivien Leigh and Claude Rains. Second leads and then leads in seven other British films produced between 1946 and 1949 followed, including what may be considered Michael Rennie's only role as one of two central characters in a fully-fledged love story. In the 47-minute episode "Sanatorium", the longest of the Somerset Maugham tales constituting the omnibus film Trio (1950), the 40-year-old Rennie and the 20-years-younger Jean Simmons play patients in the title institution, which caters to victims of tuberculosis. They fall in love and decide to marry, despite the doctor's grim prognosis that Rennie can only expect a few more months of life. Simmons' character also faces a premature death within a couple of years. Simmons would, in fact, turn out to be Rennie's most frequent co-star. Although they shared no scenes in their minor roles in Caesar and Cleopatra (1945), it was the first of their films together. They also appeared in two 20th Century-Fox epics. In 1953's The Robe and its 1954 sequel, Demetrius and the Gladiators, Rennie played the Apostle Peter, while Simmons portrayed a Christian martyr. In the sequel, they were only briefly seen in a flashback. Their final shared film was 1954's Désirée. He was again billed fourth, after Marlon Brando (as Napoleon), Simmons (as the title character, Désirée Clary), and Merle Oberon (as Joséphine). Rennie's character, French Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, marries Désirée after Napoleon abandons her for Joséphine. 20th Century-Fox Rennie, along with Simmons and The Wicked Lady leading man James Mason, was one of a number of British actors offered Hollywood contracts in 1949–50 by 20th Century-Fox's studio head, Darryl F. Zanuck. The first film under his new contract was the British-filmed Medieval period adventure The Black Rose, starring Tyrone Power, who became one of Rennie's closest friends. Fifth-billed after the remaining first-tier stars Orson Welles, Cécile Aubry and Jack Hawkins, Rennie was specifically cast as 13th century King Edward I, whose 6' 2" (1.88 m) frame gave origin to his historical nickname "Longshanks". Rennie's second Fox film gave him fourth billing in the top tier. The 13th Letter, directed by his future nemesis and love rival Otto Preminger, was a remake of the 1943 French film Le Corbeau (The Raven), with the setting changed to the Canadian province of Quebec. Rennie received top billing in his next film, after Claude Rains turned down the role. The Day the Earth Stood Still was the first post-war, respectably budgeted, "A" science-fiction film. It was a serious, high-minded exploration of Cold War paranoia and humanity's place in the universe. The story was dramatised in 1954 for Lux Radio Theatre, with Rennie and Billy Gray recreating their roles. Seven years later, on 3 March 1962, when The Day the Earth Stood Still had its television premiere on NBC's NBC Saturday Night at the Movies, Rennie appeared before the start of the film to give a two-minute introduction. Buoyed by the strong critical reception and profitability of the film, Fox assigned much of the credit to the central performance of Rennie. Convinced that it had a potential leading man under contract, the studio decided to produce a version of Les Miserables as a vehicle for him. The film, released on 14 August 1952, was directed by All Quiet on the Western Front's Lewis Milestone. Rennie's performance was respectfully, but not enthusiastically, received by the critics. Ultimately, Les Misérables turned in an extremely modest profit and put an end to any further attempts to promote the 43-year-old Rennie as a future star. He was, however, launched on a thriving career as a top supporting actor, as in Sailor of the King. Based on the positive reaction to his two turns as the Apostle Peter, Fox assigned him another third-billed, top-tier role as a stalwart man of God, Franciscan friar Junipero Serra, who, between 1749 and his death in 1784, founded missions in Alta California. The film was September 1955's Seven Cities of Gold, with Richard Egan and Anthony Quinn. In 1953, he starred in Dangerous Crossing under contract with 20th Century Fox. It was released in 1953 as a black-and-white noirish mystery film. It was directed by Joseph M. Newman, starred Rennie and Jeanne Crain, and was based on a 1943 play Cabin B-13 by John Dickson Carr. The production reused sets and props from Titanic of the same year, in which Rennie did the closing narration. His next film was the last under his five-year contract with 20th Century-Fox. The Rains of Ranchipur, released on 14 December 1955, assigned him fifth billing after the lead romantic teaming of Lana Turner and Richard Burton. As Turner's character's cuckolded husband, Lord Esketh, Rennie maintained his typical dignity and stiff upper lip. Post-20th Century-Fox Now a freelancer, Rennie appeared in six additional features between 1956 and 1960, three of which were produced or released by Fox. Rennie appeared as adventurer Lord John Roxton in director Irwin Allen's 1960 adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, a tale of a jungle expedition that finds prehistoric monsters in South America; the film also starred Claude Rains, David Hedison, Fernando Lamas, Jill St. John and Richard Haydn. No longer bound by the no-television clause in his studio contract, he began his prolific 15-year association with the medium. The Third Man Series and Television In 1959, Rennie became a familiar face on television, taking the role of Harry Lime in The Third Man, an Anglo-American syndicated television series very loosely based on the character previously played by Orson Welles. During the 1960s, he made guest appearances on such series as The Barbara Stanwyck Show, The Americans, Route 66 (a portrayal of a doomed pilot in the two-part episode "Fly Away Home"); Alfred Hitchcock Presents; Perry Mason (one of four actors in four consecutive episodes substituting for series star Raymond Burr, who was recovering from surgery); Wagon Train (a 90-minute colour episode as an English big game hunter); The Great Adventure (in an installment of this anthology series about remarkable events in American history, he portrayed Confederate president Jefferson Davis); Daniel Boone, (in the episodes "The Sound of Wings" and "First in War, First in Peace"); Lost in Space (another two-part episode—as an all-powerful alien zookeeper, "The Keeper", he worked one last time with his Third Man costar Jonathan Harris); The Time Tunnel (as Captain Smith of the Titanic, in the series' premiere episode); Batman (as the villainous Sandman, in league with Julie Newmar's Catwoman); three episodes of The Invaders (as a malign variation of the Klaatu persona, culminating in a parallel plot also involving an assembly of world leaders); an episode of I Spy ("Lana"); and two episodes of The F.B.I. Broadway At the start of the 1960s, Michael Rennie made his only Broadway appearance in Mary, Mary playing Dirk Winsten, a jaded film star. After two previews, the sophisticated five-character marital comedy written by Jean Kerr and directed by Joseph Anthony opened at the Helen Hayes Theatre on 8 March 1961. It ran for a very successful 1,572 performances, closing at the Morosco Theatre on 12 December 1964. Rennie stayed with the production less than five months, to be replaced by Michael Wilding in July 1961. When Warner Brothers Pictures cast the film version in early 1963, Rennie, along with leading man Barry Nelson and supporting actor Hiram Sherman (who joined the play two years after the opening in the part first played by John Cromwell) were the only Broadway cast members cast. Debbie Reynolds was given the title role created by Barbara Bel Geddes, and Warners contractee Diane McBain, whom the studio saw as a potential star of the future, took over "the socialite part" essayed by Betsy von Furstenberg. Veteran Mervyn LeRoy produced and directed the film, which opened at Radio City Music Hall on 25 October 1963. Ironically, while the film disappeared from cinemas by the end of 1963, the Broadway version continued for another full year. Personal Life Rennie was married twice: first to Joan England (1938–1945), then to actress Margaret (Maggie) McGrath (1947–1960); their son, David Rennie, is an English circuit judge in Lewes, Sussex, England. Both marriages ended in divorce. He also had a son, John Marshall, by his longtime friend and mistress, Renée (née Gilbert) whose later married name was Taylor. Renée was the sister of the British film director Lewis Gilbert. During the war years, they lived coincidentally in flats in the White House in Albany Street near Regents Park in London (now a hotel). The White House was a favourite location to live during the war years. It was built in the shape of a white cross and was such a good navigation mark for the Luftwaffe, that it was rumoured that there were standing orders to avoid bombing it - hence its popularity with celebrities and the wealthy. Although Rennie offered to accept paternity on discovering the news of her pregnancy, Renée refused, as she was unwilling to jeopardise his growing success as a romantic lead in major feature films. However, Rennie kept a watchful eye on Marshall over the years even after his marriage to Maggie McGrath and both families were in constant touch until Rennie's death. In fact, Renée and Maggie lived for many years in the 1970s and 1980s within 200 yards of each other in Barnes and were close friends. Both Rennie and his sister Bunny were very fond of Renée's family. Coincidentally the British Film Institute's database lists Michael as also having a son, John M. Taylor, who is described as "a producer." John Marshall Rennie used the pseudonym "Taylor" during his long career in the industry to avoid accusations of nepotism. Michael Rennie was also briefly engaged to Mary Gardner, the ex-wife of Hollywood director Otto Preminger. Final Years In 1968, Rennie completed what amounted to guest roles in two 1968 films, The Power and The Devil's Brigade, before moving to Switzerland in the latter part of that year. His final seven feature films were filmed in Britain, Italy, Spain and, in the case of Surabaya Conspiracy, the Philippines. Less than three years after leaving Hollywood, he journeyed to his mother's home in Harrogate, Yorkshire, following the death of his brother. It was there that he died suddenly of an aortic aneurysm almost two months before his 62nd birthday. After his cremation, his ashes were interred in Harlow Hill Cemetery, Harrogate. Partial Filmography * Secret Agent (1936) (uncredited film debut) * The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1936) (uncredited) * Conquest of the Air (1936) (uncredited) * The Squeaker (1937) (uncredited) * Gangway (1937) (uncredited) * The Divorce of Lady X (1938) (uncredited) * Bank Holiday (1938) (uncredited) * This Man in Paris (1940) (uncredited) * The Briggs Family (1940) (uncredited) * Dangerous Moonlight (1941) * This Man Is Dangerous (1941) * The Patient Vanishes (1941) * "Pimpernel" Smith (1941) (uncredited) * Turned Out Nice Again (1941) (uncredited) * Ships with Wings (1941) * Tower of Terror (1941) * The Big Blockade (1942) * I'll Be Your Sweetheart (1945) * The Wicked Lady (1945) * Caesar and Cleopatra (1945) * The Root of All Evil (1947) * White Cradle Inn (1947) * Idol of Paris (1948) * Uneasy Terms (1948) * The Golden Madonna (1949) * Miss Pilgrim's Progress (1950) * Trio (1950) * The Black Rose (1950) * The 13th Letter (1951) * The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) – as Klaatu * The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951) (uncredited narrator) * The House in the Square, also known as I'll Never Forget You (1951) * Phone Call from a Stranger (1952) * Five Fingers (1952) * Les Misérables (1952) – as Jean Valjean * Titanic (1953) (uncredited end narrator) * The Desert Rats (1953) (uncredited narrator) * Sailor of the King (1953) * The Robe (1953) – as the Apostle Peter * King of the Khyber Rifles (1953) * Princess of the Nile (1954) * Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954) * Mambo (1954) * Désirée (1954) * Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1955) * Soldier of Fortune (1955) * Seven Cities of Gold (1955) * The Rains of Ranchipur (1955) * Teenage Rebel (1956) * Island in the Sun (1957) * Omar Khayyam (1957) * Battle of the V-1 (1958) * Third Man on the Mountain (1959) * The Lost World (1960) * Mary, Mary (1963) * Lost in Space (1965) – as The Keeper - two episodes * Cyborg 2087 (1966) * Batman (1966) – as The Sandman - two episodes * Hotel (1967) * Death on the Run (1967) * The Power (1968) – as Arthur Nordlund/Adam Hart * The Devil's Brigade (1968) – as General Mark Clark * Subterfuge (1968) * Surabaya Conspiracy (1969) * The Battle of Elalamein (1969) * Los Monstruos del Terror, also known as Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1969/1970) In Popular Culture The opening song of The Rocky Horror Show and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, "Science Fiction Double Feature", begins with the words "Michael Rennie was ill The Day the Earth Stood Still, but he told us where we stand..." ("and Flash Gordon was there in silver underwear, Claude Rains was The Invisible Man..." etc.) Sheila Matthews ‘’’Sheila Allen’’’ (born February 2, 1929) was an American actress. Life and Career Born Sheila Marie Matthews in New York City, she was married to producer Irwin Allen from 1974 until his death in 1991. She appeared in several of her husband's TV series and movies through to 1986. Appearances include City Beneath the Sea, Lost in Space, Land of the Giants, and The Towering Inferno. She also served as a producer on the 2002 television remake of The Time Tunnel. She died on November 15. 2013. She began her acting career with a minor role in State Fair (1962), later appearing in numerous episodes of television series. While acting on an Irwin Allen production, she and Allen fell in love, and married in 1974. In 1991, her husband died from a heart attack, leaving her a widow. In 2006, Wolfgang Petersen she served as an executive producer for the remake of the The Poseidon Adventure (1972) called Poseidon. When finishing the movie she attended the premiere with some of the cast members of the original film (including Red Buttons, Pamela Sue Martin and Carol Lynley). Actress Sheila Allen, tpassed away at her home in Malibu, California on Friday (Nov. 15, 2013) after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis. Allen began her career at the age of 10, when she started performing with professional opera singers in several shows in New York. The Poseidon Adventure star went on to appear in several Broadway and off-Broadway productions in the 1940s and 1950s. She broke into TV in the 1950s and starred in projects including The Towering Inferno, Alice in Wonderland and Lost in Space. She served as the president of Irwin Allen Productions for the past 20 years and was also very active with charities including the Los Angeles Opera, the Young Musicians Foundation and United Friends of the Children. Allen married Irwin in 1974 and they remained together until his death from a heart attack in 1991. Filmography *State Fair (1962) as the Hipplewaite's Girl *Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962) as the Courtier *The Poseidon Adventure (1972) as the Nurse *The Towering Inferno (1974) as "Paula Ramsay" *Viva Knievel! (1977) as "Sister Charity" *When Time Ran Out (1980) as "Mona" Television *Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, 1 episode as Mrs. Melton *Lost in Space (3 episodes; as "Aunt Gamma", "Brynhilda" and "Ruth Templeton", respectively) *The Time Tunnel, (1966 - 1967 TV series), Producer *Land of the Giants (2 episodes; as Miss Collier, Nurse Helg, respectively) *City Beneath the Sea (TV movie), as the blonde woman *The Waltons, 5 episodes, as "Fanny Tatum" *Alice in Wonderland (TV movie), as Alice's Mother *Outrage! (TV movie), as "Mrs. Delehanty" Gallery LIS-1.jpg Vitina Marcus Vitina Marcus was born on March 1, 1937 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for The Lost World (1960), Taras Bulba (1962) and Never Love a Stranger (1958). However she is best known as the "Green Lady" from Lost in Space. She played in two episodes of Lost In Space, first in Wild Adventure as Lorelei, then later in The Girl from the Green Dimension, as Athena. To clear up the name confusion, she was later named, "Athena, the Lorelei." Trivia *Began her professional acting career at age 20 in 1957 as Dolores Vitina. *Has been a vegetarian for most of her life, and is an animal lover and activist for animal rights. *She was known for playing sci-fi roles, most notably as "The Green Lady" in the television series Lost in Space (1965). She was also known for playing Native-American roles for years on television due to her interesting facial features and black hair, but in real life she is Italian-Sicilian-American. *She is now a real estate broker. *After winning the beauty queen title of "Miss Bensonhurst" at her high school, she later began her acting career in 1957 at age 20 as Dolores Vitina. *Vitina and Rory Calhoun had a daughter, Athena Marcus Calhoun, who was named "The World's Most Beautiful Showgirl" and awarded "The Key to the City of Las Vegas" in 1987. *Has done appearances as "The Green Lady" of Lost in Space (1965) at conventions. 2001 Warren Oates Warren Mercer Oates (July 5, 1928 – April 3, 1982) was an American actor best known for his performances in several films directed by Sam Peckinpah including The Wild Bunch (1969) and Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974). He starred in numerous films during the early 1970s which have since achieved cult status including The Hired Hand (1971), Two-Lane Blacktop (1971) and Race with the Devil (1975). Oates also portrayed John Dillinger in the biopic Dillinger (1973) and Sergeant Hulka in the comedy Stripes (1981). Early life Oates was born and raised in Depoy, a tiny rural community west of Greenville in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. He was the son of Sarah Alice (née Mercer) and Bayless Earle Oates, who owned a general store. He attended Louisville Male High School, Louisville, Kentucky until 1945 but did not graduate. He later earned a high school equivalency degree. After high school he enlisted in the Marines for two years serving as an aircraft mechanic. He became interested in theater at the University of Louisville and starred in several plays there in 1953 for the Little Theater Company. He got an opportunity in New York City to star in a live production of the television series Studio One in 1957. Career Oates migrated to Los Angeles where he began to establish himself in guest roles in Western television series, including Wagon Train, Tombstone Territory, Buckskin, Rawhide, Trackdown, Tate, The Rebel, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Have Gun-Will Travel, Lawman, The Big Valley and Gunsmoke. Oates first met Peckinpah when he played a variety of guest roles on The Rifleman (1958–1963), a popular television series created by the director. He also played a supporting role in Peckinpah's short-lived series The Westerner in 1960.4 The collaboration continued as he worked on Peckinpah's early films Ride the High Country (1962) and Major Dundee (1965). In the episode "Subterranean City" (October 14, 1958) of the syndicated Rescue 8, Oates played a gang member, Pete, who is the nephew of series character Skip Johnson (Lang Jeffries). In the story line, rescuers Skip Johnson and Wes Cameron (Jim Davis) search for a lost girl in the sewer tunnels and encounter three criminals hiding out underground. Pete soon breaks with his gang companions and joins the firemen Wes and Skip in locating the missing child. In 1961, Oates guest starred in the episode "Artie Moon" in NBC's The Lawless Years crime drama about the 1920s. In 1962, he appeared as "Ves Painter" in the short-lived ABC series Stoney Burke, co-starring Jack Lord, a program about rodeo contestants. Oates also played in a number of guest roles on The Twilight Zone (in The Purple Testament and The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms, in which he costarred with Randy Boone and Ron Foster), The Outer Limits ("The Mutant" 1964), and Lost in Space ("Welcome Stranger" 1965). During the 1960s and 1970s, he guest-starred on such shows as Twelve O'Clock High, Lancer, and The Virginian. In addition to Peckinpah, Oates worked with several major film directors of his era including Leslie Stevens in the 1960 film Private Property, his first starring role; Norman Jewison in In the Heat of the Night (1967); Joseph L. Mankiewicz in There Was a Crooked Man... (1970); John Milius in Dillinger (1973); Terrence Malick in Badlands (1973); Philip Kaufman in The White Dawn (1974); William Friedkin in The Brink's Job (1978); and Steven Spielberg in 1941 (1979). He appeared in the Sherman Brothers musical version of Tom Sawyer as "Muff Potter", the town drunk. He also starred in The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960), Return of the Seven (1966), The Shooting (filmed in 1965, released in 1968), The Thief Who Came to Dinner (1973), Cockfighter (1974), Drum (1976) and China 9, Liberty 37 (1978). Oates co-starred three times with friend Peter Fonda in The Hired Hand (1971), Race with the Devil (1975) and 92 in the Shade (1975). June 18th thru June 26th while making a guest appearance on a segment of Dundee and the Culhane, Warren Oates managed to steal the show with his off camera antics and bloopers that had everyone on the set rolling. After a long day of filming, Warren headed over and set his footprints in cement along with all the other stars that appeared at Apacheland Movie Ranch. It was during this time that "Heat of the Night" was a blockbuster summer flick. Warren's role as "Officer Sam Wood" is spectacular as he plays a peeping-tom officer and possible killer in the critically acclaimed film. Oates was cast in Roger Donaldson's 1977 New Zealand film Sleeping Dogs together with New Zealand actor Sam Neill. A political thriller with action film elements, Sleeping Dogs follows the lead character "Smith" (Neill) as New Zealand plunges into a police state, as a fascist government institutes martial law after industrial disputes flare into violence. Smith gets caught between the special police and a growing resistance movement and reluctantly becomes involved. Oates plays the role of "Willoughby", commander of the American forces stationed in New Zealand and working with the New Zealand fascist government to find and subdue "rebels" (the resistance movement). His partnership with Peckinpah resulted in two of his most famous film roles. In the 1969 Western classic The Wild Bunch, he portrayed Lyle Gorch, a long-time outlaw who chooses to die with his friends during the film's violent conclusion. According to his wife at the time, Teddy, Oates had the choice of starring in Support Your Local Sheriff, to be filmed in Los Angeles, or The Wild Bunch in Mexico. "He had done Return of the Seven in Mexico; he got hepatitis, plus dysentery. But off he went again with Sam (Peckinpah). He loved going on location. He loved the adventure of it. He had great admiration for Sam. Sam Peckinpah and Monte Hellman were the two directors Warren would work with anytime anywhere."6 In Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, the dark 1974 action/tragedy also filmed in Mexico, Oates played the lead role of Bennie, a hard-drinking down-on-his-luck musician hoping to make a final score. The character was reportedly based on Peckinpah himself. For authenticity, Oates wore the director's sunglasses while filming scenes of the production. Although the Peckinpah film roles are his best-known, his most critically acclaimed role is GTO in Monte Hellman's 1971 cult classic Two-Lane Blacktop. The film, although a failure at the box-office, is studied in film schools as a treasure of the 1970s, in large part due to Oates' heartbreaking portrayal of GTO. Famed film critic Leonard Maltin remarked that Oates' performance in this film was as good as any he'd seen and should have won the Oscar. A year before his death, Oates co-starred with Bill Murray in the 1981 military comedy Stripes. In the role of the drill sergeant, Sergeant Hulka, Oates skillfully played the straight man to Murray's comedic character. The film was a huge financial success, earning $85 million at the box office. In 1982, he co-starred opposite Jack Nicholson in director Tony Richardson's The Border. Death Warren Oates died in his sleep at his house in Los Angeles, California of a sudden heart attack brought on by natural causes on April 3, 1982; he was 53 years old. He was cremated and his ashes scattered at his ranch in Montana. In 1981, nearly one year before his death, he had co-starred in the CBS TV mini-series The Blue and the Gray, which aired in November 1982. His last two films, Blue Thunder (which was filmed in early 1980) and Tough Enough (which was filmed in late 1981) (both released in 1983), were posthumously dedicated to him. Monte Hellman's film Iguana ends with the titles "For Warren" as a dedication. Legacy Today, the actor has a dedicated cult following because of his memorable performances in not only Peckinpah's films, but Monte Hellman's independent works, his films with Peter Fonda and a number of B-movies from the 1970s. His occasionally crude facade, likeable persona and uncommon presence are admired by such filmmakers as Quentin Tarantino and Richard Linklater. During a recent screening of Hellman's Two-Lane Blacktop, Linklater introduced the film and announced 16 reasons why viewers should love the 1971 movie. The sixth was: "Because there was once a god who walked the Earth named Warren Oates." The documentary film Warren Oates: Across the Border was produced by Tom Thurman in 1993 in tribute to the actor's career. Oates was again recognized in March 2009 with the first-ever biography of his colorful life. Featuring interviews with actor's former wives, children, and friends, Warren Oates: A Wild Life, was written by Susan Compo. It has received much acclaim from fans and critics alike.10 Oates cast his boot-prints while filming an episode of Dundee and the Culhane at Apacheland Movie Ranch on June 23, 1967. Category:Lost in Space (1965 TV Series)